News

Fruit Juice, Brain Surgery & CasablancaWed 3rd Nov 2010 - 5:46

Manchester Camerata's Music Director designate Gabor Takács-Nagy leads the orchestra in performances of Elgar and Mozart at this Saturday's Concert as part of the Leeds Concert Series. He spared 60 seconds in a very busy rehearsal schedule to answer some crucial and revealing questions!

Gabor has been working with Manchester Camerata since January this year, and will take over the position of Music Director from Douglas Boyd in the Autumn of 2011.

He is also Music Director of Verbier Chamber Orchestra and the MAV Symphony orchestra, Budapest, and was a founding member of the renowned Takács Quartet.

- Who has been the biggest influence on your career? My three chamber music teachers at the Liszt Academy (Andras Mihaly, Ferenc Rados and Gyorgy Kurtag)

- When did you start playing? At the age of 8

- What was your earliest musical experience? My great grandmother singing folk songs when I was 4

- Do you enjoy practising or find it a chore? I am not practising anymore

- Do you play any other musical instruments? Only viola

- Were your parents musical? No

- If you could play a different instrument what would it be? A singer

- What piece of music do you most enjoy playing? Always the piece I am working on as soon as I feel close to it

- What is you favourite piece of music? Always the piece I am working on as soon as I feel close to it

- What's the best and worst things about touring with the orchestra? To both questions - the human factor

- How do you deal with pre-concert nerves? By trying to be myself and not wishing to impress anyone

- When was the last time you went to a concert as a member of the audience? To my student's concert in October

- What was the first record that you bought with your own money? Mahler 5th Symphony conducted by Barbirolli

- What was the last CD you bought? Mozart Sinfonia Concertante KV 297B

- When you have time off how do you relax? Walking with my wife in the forest

- Who would you invite to a dinner party (historical, musical or otherwise - living or dead!)? Joseph Joachim, Joseph Haydn, Furtwängler, Carlos Kleiber, Simon Rattle, Claudio Abbado and Roger Federer

- What music do you listen to in the car? The pieces that I am working on at that time